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THE  LIBRARY 

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THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


IX. 


JANUARY,  1918 


No  '. 


THE 

UTAH 


AND 


HI-TTOR.ICAII 
MAGAZI/1E 


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PUBLISHED    QUARTERLY 
BY  THE 

GENEALOGICAL  SOCIETY 
OF  UTAH 


60    EAST   SOUTH  TEMPLE  ST. 
SALT   LAKE   CITY,   UTAH 


THE  GENEALOGICAL  SOCIETY  OF  UTAH 

.   Officers  and  Directors 
ANTHON  H.  LUND,  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH,  JR., 

President  Secy.-Treas., 

CHARLES  W.  PENROSE,  JOSEPH  CHRISTENSON 

Vice-President  Librarian 

ANTHONY  W.  IVINS 
HEBER  J.  GRANT 
HYRUM  G.  SMITH 


PUBLISHERS  OF 


The  Utah  Genealogical  and 
Historical  Magazine 

ANTHON  H.  LUND,  NEPHI  ANDERSON, 

Editor  Associate  Edicor 

Entered  as  second-class  matter,  October  1,  1910,  at  the  post  office,  at  Salt 
Lake  City,  Utah,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1879. 


CONTENTS— JANARY,    1918. 

I.    THE  "MORMONS"  AS  PIONEERS,  By  Andrew  Jenson  1 

II.     THE  ESSENTIAL  VALUE  OF  GENEALOGICAL  RESEARCH,  By  Joseph 

F.    Smith,    Jun.  -        -        -        -  14 

III.  THE  BENNION  FAMILY  OF  UTAH,  By  Harden  Bennion  -  22 

IV.  THE   PEERY   GENEALOGY,    Arranged   by  Annie  Lynch  -  31 
V.     BOOK  REVIEW                                                                              -        -  42 

VI.     OUTLINES  OF  STUDIES  AND  ACTIVITIES  FOR  THE  GENEALOGICAL  SO- 
CIETY FOR   1918          --------  44 


HELP  BUILD  UP  THE  WEST  BY  INSURING  WITH  THE 

Home  Fire  Insurance  Company  of  Utah 

ORGANIZED  1886 

Surplus  to  policy  holders  over  -         $900,000.00 

Unsurpassed  protection  and  prompt  settlements  of  losses 

HEBER  J.  GRANT  &  COMPANY 

GENERAL  AGENTS 
Local  Agents  in  all  Towns  SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH 


DAVID  HAROLD  PEERY. 


-™, 


rtx-^ 

THE 

UTAH  GENEALOGICAL 

AND  HISTORICAL  MAGAZINE. 


JANUARY,  1918. 

THE  "MORMONS"  AS  PIONEERS. 

|?3  o  -  (  ^  H  I 

BY  ANDREW^JENSON,  PRESIDENT  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  OF  UTAH 
ASSISTANT  CHURCH  HISTORIAN. 


As  years  roll  on,  and  the  west  half  of  the  United  States  of 
America  becomes  more  thickly  settled,  the  achievements  and  la- 
bors of  the  early  pioneers  of  the  great  west  become  matters  of 

£x.      vital  importance,  and  no  one  who  visits  Salt  Lake  City  at  the 

-j.  present  time  can  afford  to  ignore  the  fact  that  the  Latter-day 
Saints  were  the  first  to  raise  the  standard  of  Anglo-Saxon  civiliza- 
tion in  the  great  intermountain  region  and  elsewhere.  Nobody 
dare  dispute  the  fact  in  the  face  of  history  that  they  were  also  emi- 
nently successful  as  pioneers,  for  the  many  flourishing  cities, 
<j  towns  and  villages  with  •  which  that  part  of  our  great  country 
once  known  as  the  Great  American  Desert  is  now  dotted,  testifies 

Q.  abundantly  of  the  energy,  the  union,  the  determination  and  suc- 
cess of  the  " Mormon"  pioneers.  Viewing  these  things  in  the 
light  of  history,  the  question  naturally  arises :  Did  the  "Mor- 
mons" have  any  experience  as  pioneers  and  founders  of  common- 
wealths before  they  became  the  founders  of  Salt  Lake  City  in  the 
heart  of  the  great  American  desert.  Endeavoring  to  answer  that 
question  it  becomes  necessary  to  go  back  to  the  beginning  of 
"Mormon"  history'. 

X  Nearly  everybody  knows  that  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 

Latter-day  Saints  was  organized  as  a  religious  body  in  1830  in 
the  western  part  of  the  State  of  New  York,  but  it  may  not  be 

{2  so  well  known  that  said  Church  was  only  about  a  year  old 
when  the  members  of  that  organization  commenced  their  labors 
as  pioneers  of  the  west.  In  the  month  of  June,  1831,  Joseph 
Smith  with  a  small  body  of  men  left  the  little  village  of  Kirtland, 
Ohio,  as  mis.sionaries,  for  the  western  boundary  of  the  United 
States,  four  men  of  the  community  having  preceded  them  there 
in  the  beginning  of  the  same  year.  Arriving  in  Jackson  County, 
Mo.,  in  July,  1831,  Joseph  Smith  and  his  companions,  together 


2  THE  "MORMONS"  AS  PIONEERS. 

with  a  number  of  families  known  in  Church  history  as  the  Coles- 
ville  branch,  commenced  operations  as  a  colonizing  community 
immediately  east  of  where  Kansas  City  now  stand,s.  There  those 
eastern  people  had  quite  an  experience  in  establishing  what  we 
may  term  a  Yankee  colony  in  a  Slave-holding  state  of  the  Union. 
They  practically  became  the  first  farmers  without  slave  labor  in 
that  part  of  our  great  country  and  in  a  remarkably  short  time 
they  had  a  prosperous  colony  numbering  about  twelve  hundred 
people.  In  this  colony  was  established  a  printing  office  which  at 
the  time  of  its  establishment  was  120  miles  further  west  than  any 
other  printing  office  in  the  United  States.  The  "Mormons"  also 
opened  a  successful  store,  built  one  or  more  mills  and  opened  up 
a  number  of  flourishing  farms  on  lands  which  they  bought  from 
the  United  States  govermene  for  $1.25  an  acre. 

I  am  not  in  this  article  dealing  with  the  causes  leading  to  the 
breaking  up  of  this  first  "Mormon"  settlement  in  Missouri,  but 
will  simply  state  that  the  colony  only  existed  about  two  and  one- 
half  years,  when  differences  arose  between  them  and  some  of  the 
older  settlers  (who  were  nearly  all  slave  holders)  and  the  "Mor- 
mons" who,  being  eastern  people,  were  mostly  Abolitionists,  but  the 
year  1833  witnessed  the  exodus  of  the  "Mormons"  from  Jackson 
County. 

Their  next  experience  as  colonizers  was  on  the  flat  lands  lying 
adjacent  to  the  Missouri  River  and  some  of  its  tributaries  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  Missouri,  mainly  in  Clay  County,  Mo. 
There  the  "Mormons"  again  gained  experience  as  pioneers  and 
were  successful  in  turning  the  flat  low  lands  in  that  part  of  the 
country  into  fruitful  fields.  Much  of  their  success  there  as  well 
as  in  Jackson  County  and  also  their  future  homes  elsewhere  must 
be  ascribed  to  their  unity  and  that  co-operation  which  is  based 
upon  brotherly  love  and  mutual  help. 

The  experience  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  in  Clay  County  only 
lasted  about  three  years,  when  it  became  necessary,  in  order  to 
avoid  trouble  with  their  less  industrious  neighbors,  for  them  to 
move  out  into  an  open  prairie  country,  lying  about  sixty  miles 
in  a  northeasterly  direction  from  Liberty,  Clay  County.  Those 
who  were  anxious  to  have  them  move  promised  that  if  they  would 
be  satisfied  with  that  prairie  country,  where  only  a  very  few 
people  had  settled  up  to  that  time,  they  could  have  a  country  or- 
ganization of  their  own.  It  seems  that  up  to  that  time  the  early 
inhabitants  of  Missouri  had  avoided  the  cultivation  of  .prairie 
land,  believing  that  only  such  parts  of  the  country  which  were 
fertilized  by  the  falling  leaves  of  trees  growing  adjacent  to  the 
Missouri  and  its  tributaries  were  rich  and  productive  enough  to 
warrant  the  husbandman  putting  his  plow  into  the  ground,  but 
the  "Mormon"  community,  as  soon  as  they  had  located  in  what 
soon  afterwards  became  Caldwell  County,  Mo.,  proved  to  the 
rest  of  the  inhabitants  that  the  prairies  were  not  useless,  but  that 


THE  "MORMONS"  AS  PIONEERS.  3 

good  crops  could  be  raised  on  these  with  careful  cultivation.  The 
consequence  was  that  the  "Mormon"  community  was  more  suc- 
cessful in  Caldwell  County,  and  also  in  ,some  of  the  adjacent 
counties,  than  they  hitherto  had  been  elsewhere,  for  soon  the 
community  grew  from  1200  souls  to  as  many  thousands  and  a 
promising  town  called  Far  West  which  reached  the  2000  mark  so 
far  as  inhabitants  were  concerned  was  founded  on  the  prairies  of 
Caldwell,  and  the  community  found  itself  gaining  rapidly  in 
wealth  and  comforts. 

In  the  meantime  another  faction  of  the  Church  had  experiences 
as  pioneers  in  Ohio,  not  far  from  where  the  city  of  Cleveland 
now  stands.  Early  in  1831  a  number  of  the  Saints  located  in 
a  little  insignificant  hamlet  containing  only  a  mill,  a  store  and  a 
few  farm  houses,  but  soon  they  built  a  city  containing  about 
1500  inhabitants  with  a  beautiful  Temple  in  the  midst  of  it.  In 
this  connection  it  may  therefore  be  said  that  the  "Mormons"  be- 
came the  pioneer  temple  builders  in  North  America,  aside  from 
masonic  temples,  .so  called,  and  other  houses  of  worship.  This 
settlement  known  as  Kirtland,  Ohio,  did  not  continue  in  the  hands 
of  the  Latter-day  Saints  more  than  about  seven  years,  as  com- 
plications arose,  and  it  became  necessary  in  1838  for  the  bulk  of 
the  people  to  vacate,  leaving  their  temple  and  improvements  be- 
hind, and  migrate  to  Missouri,  about  a  thousand  miles  further 
west. 

In  the  meantime  trouble  also  arose  between  the  "Mormons" 
and  the  other  settlers  in  Missouri.  I  am  not  here  dealing  with 
the  causes  of  this  trouble,  but  I  venture  to  say,  that  jealousy 
based  upon  the  fact  that  the  "Mormons"  seemed  to  be  more 
prosperous  than  their  neighbors  were  at  the  bottom  ol  it,  and  yet, 
it  must  be  remembered  that  the  religion  of  the  Latter-day  Saints 
was  in  many  respects  so  different  from  that  of  many  of  their 
neighbors  that  persecutions  on  that  ground  easily  arose,  though 
the  "Mormons"  from  the  beginning  had  adopted  as  their  slogan 
"to  mind  their  own  business."  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  early 
part  of  1839  found  the  Saints  to  the  number  of  about  12,000 
driven  into  exile,  after  a  number  of  their  people  had  been  mur- 
dered, much  of  their  property  destroyed  and  nearly  all  the  rest 
confiscated.  On  this  occasion,  the  Saints,  instead  of  turning 
their  faces  westward,  traveled  about  two  hundred  miles  eastward 
in  order  to  get  out  of  the  state  of  Missouri,  the  so-called  extermin- 
ating order  of  Governor  Lilburn  W.  Bogsrs  having  been  issued 
recommending  either  extermination  or  expulsion. 

In  the  little  town  of  Quincy,  111.,  the  exiled  Saints  found  tem- 
porary shelter,  the  people  of  Quincy  treating  them  most  kindly 
and  taking  immediate  steps  to  relieve  them  of  temporary  wants. 

But  as  the  "Mormons"  could  never  consent  to  live  on  charity, 
or  to  receive  aid  when  there  was  a  possibility  of  them  help- 
ing themselves,  they  immediately  fell  back  upon  their  former  tac- 


4  THE   "MORMONS"   AS   PIONEERS. 

tics  as  colonizers.  About  fifty  miles  from  Quincy,  up  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  a  little  village  known  as  Commerce  had  been  founded 
some  years  before  by  eastern  people  who  came  there  well  sup- 
plied with  money  and  property  to  found  a  settlement  in  the  west, 
but  the  place  being  very  unhealthy  these  people  instead  of  building 
up  a  town  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  river  built  up  a  good 
sized  graveyard  on  the  slope  of  a  hill.  The  facts  were  these  that 
the  place  was  so  marshy  and  swampy  that  the  inhabitants  were 
nearly  all  taken  with  malaria,  mostly  fever  and  ague,  and  the 
mortality  in  consequence  was  very  great  indeed.  Hence,  when 
the  Saints  through  a  committee  appointed  for  the  purpose  inves- 
tigated conditions  for  buying  land  upon  which  to  locate  another 
settlement  they  found  the  few  people  left  at  Commerce  willing  to 
sell  on  easy  terms,  and  the  consequence  was  that  the  ''Mormons" 
located  in  that  beautiful  bend  of  the  Mississippi  River  in  Han- 
cock County,  111.,  where  they  in  the  course  of  six  years  built 
up  Nauvoo,  the  beautiful,  and  that  too  in  the  days  of  their  pover- 
ty, plucked  and  peeled  as  they  were  on  account  of  their  sufferings 
and  persecutions  in  Missouri.  Yet  the  facts  are  these  that  where 
the  comparatively  wealthy  people  from  the  east  could  not  build 
up  the  village  of  Commerce,  these  persecuted  "Mormons", 
through  their  union  of  toil  and  systematic  labor,  built  up  a  city 
which,  when  it  flourished  the  most,  had  about  20,000  inhabitants. 
The  city  contained  a  beautiful  temple,  a  number  of  manufacturing 
establishments,  public  buildings,  a  printing  office  and  many  sub- 
stantial private  residences.  Here  the  "Mormons"  had  exper- 
iences as  pioneers  to  drain  swamps  and  turn  them  into  fruitful 
fields  and  to  take  other  steps  for  improving  conditions  until,  ac- 
cording to  the  .statement  of  the  late  George  A.  Smith,  Nauvoo  be- 
came as  healthy  as  any  other  place  in  Illinois.  Joseph  the  Proph- 
et, the  "Mormon"  leader  and  the  founder  of  the  Church,  took  a 
most  active  part  in  the  building  of  Nauvoo  which  as  years  rolled  on 
became  a  most  endearing  spot  to  him.  This  is  exemplified  by 
a  remark  he  made  when  he  left  Nauvoo  the  last  time  alive  to  go  to 
Carthage.  When  he  had  gone  as  far  as  the  Temple  he  turned 
around  and  looked  with  admiration  upon  that  building  and  then 
upon  the  city  at  large,  remarking:  "This  is  the  loveliest  place 
and  the  best  people  under  the  heavens ;  little  .do  they  know  the 
trials  that  await  them."  His  bosom  friend  John  Taylor,  in  his 
beautiful  composition  known  as  "The  Seer,"  in  referring  to  Jo- 
seph Smith  and  Nauvoo,  says: 

"The  Saints,  the  Saints,  his  only  pride, 
For  them  he  lived,  for  them  he  died. 
Their  joys  were  his,  their  sorrows  too: 
He  loved  the  Saints,  he  loved  Nauvoo." 

It  was  not  only  Joseph  Smith  who  thus  loved  Nauvoo  and  its 


THE '"MORMONS"  AS   PIONEERS.  5 

people,  but  that  beautiful  place  became  the  pride  of  all  its  in- 
habitants. Many  years  ago,  when  I  first  became  acquainted  with 
the  inhabitants  of  this  intermountain  country  and  when  many  early 
Church  veterans  were  yet  alive,  I  often,  in  my  endeavors  to  elicit 
from  them  historical  information  concerning-  early  pioneer  days, 
listened  for  hours  to  some  of  those  Nauvoo  Saints  relating-  inci- 
dents connected  with  that  city ;  and  while  they  were  telling  of  their 
thrilling  experiences  there  and  their  associations  with  the  Prophet 
Joseph,  I  would  in  many  instances  notice  the  tears  coursing  their 
way  down  their  weather-beaten  cheeks,  as  the  pleasant  or  sad 
memories  of  the  past  touched  their  hearts. 

After  what  I  have  said  it  will  readily  be  seen  that  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  had  much  experience  as  pioneers,  founders  of  settle- 
ments and  city  builders  before  they  came  to  these  mountains,  and 
these  experiences  indeed  stood  them  well  in  hand  when  it  fell  to 
their  lot  to  found  this  beautiful  city  in  these  Rocky  Mountains. 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  the  Saints  were  driven  away  from 
Illinois  in  1846,  after  they  had  witnessed  the  murder  of  their 
Prophet  and  Patriarch  and  a  number  of  others  by  the  hands  of 
mobs.  Early  in  February  of  that  year  (1846),  the  exodus  of 
about  25,000  people  commenced  by  the  advance  guard  crossing  the 
Mississippi  river  and  forming  a  temporary  encampment  on  Sugar 
Creek,  Lee  county,  Iowa.  Thence  the  journey  westward  was  con- 
tinued through  the  southern  counties  of  Iowa  to  the  Missouri 
river,  a  distance  of  about  three  hundred  miles,  and  here  again  the 
"Mormons"  became  pioneers  in  founding  such  settlements  as  Gar- 
den Grove,  Mt.  Pisgah,  Kanesville  (the  present  Council  Bluffs), 
and  quite  a  number  of  smaller  settlements,  in  southwestern  Iowa. 
If  our  socialistic  friends  want  to  give  an  illustration  of  what  true 
Socialism,  based  on  brotherly  love,  can  accomplish,  then  let  them 
read  the  history  of  the  "Mormons"  after  their  expulsion  from  the 
state  of  Illinois,  and  also  of  their  movements  after  their  arrival 
in  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Let  them  post  themselves  as  to  how 
the  advance  companies  of  what  was  termed  the  camps  of  Israel, 
planted  and  sowed  grain  and  vegetables  at  Garden  Grove,  Mt. 
Pisgah,  etc.,  for  the  later  companies  of  their  co-religionists  to  reap 
the  harvest.  Let  them  read  also  of  the  covenant  entered  into  by 
the  "Mormons"  in  Missouri  in  1839  when  the  better-to-do  mem- 
bers of  the  community  pledged  themselves  to  spend  their  last 
dollar  in  assisting  their  fellow-sufferers  to  leave  the  state  of  Mis- 
souri. By  what  I  have  now  written  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Saints 
were  practically  the  pioneer  settlers  in  certain  parts  of  Iowa,  this 
being  particularly  the  case  in  Pottawattamie  couny  in  that  state. 

It  was  the  intention,  when  the  exodus  from  Nauvoo  was  com- 
menced in  1846,  that  the  advance  companies  of  the  "Mormons" 
should  arrive  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  that  year;  but  when  the 
first  companies  had  reached  the  Missouri  river  a  call  came  from 
the  United  States  government  for  five  hundred  men  to  be  raised 


6  THE   "MORMONS"   AS   PIONEERS. 

among  the  "Mormons"  to  participate  in  the  war,  which  had  broken 
out  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico.  This  delayed  the 
settlement  of  Salt  Lake  valley  one  year,  for  instead  of  going  to 
the  mountains  in  1846  the  Saints,  after  the  Battalion  had  left, 
found  it  necessary  to  locate  a  temporary  settlement  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Missouri  river,  which  became  known  as  Winter  Quar- 
ters. This  meant  that  the  "Mormons"  became  the  first  actual 
white  settlers  in  what  is  now  the  state  of  Nebraska,  for  up  to  that 
time  that  part  of  our  great  country  now  included  in  said  state 
had  been  in  the  hands  of  the  Omahas,  Pawnees,  Sioux  and  other 
Indian  tribes,  and  not  only  were  the  Saints  the  founders  of  that 
first  settlement  in  Nebraska,  Winter  Quarters,  where  the  little  city 
of  Florence  now  sands,  but  they  also  took  an  active  part  a  few 
years  later  in  founding  the  city  of  Omaha  where  a  "Mormon" 
elder  (Jos.  E.  Johnson)  published  the  first  newspaper  ("The 
Omaha  Bee")  ever  published  in  that  city. 

I  now  revert  to  the  Mormon  Battalion  which  left  the  Potta- 
wattamie  country  in  Iowa  in  July,  1846,  and  marched  to  Fort 
Leaven  worth.  Thence  the  real  journey  to  California  was  com- 
menced, and  after  traveling  as  far  as  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  it 
was  discovered  that  a  number  of  families  who  had  accompanied 
the  Battalion  that  far  were  not  able  to  undertake  the  other  half 
of  the  journey  to  California  which  led  through  dry  and  trackless 
deserts ;  hence  it  was  decided  that  those  families,  together  with  a 
number  of  the  soldiers  who  during  the  first  half  of  the  journey 
had  shown  signs  of  not  being  as  strong  as  some  of  their  com- 
panions, should  change  their  course  of  travel,  and  instead  of  con- 
tinuing to  California  go  north  and  winter  on  the  Arkansas  river. 
This  meant  that  the  "Mormons"  also  became  the  first  Anglo- 
Saxon  settlers  in  what  is  now  the  enterprising  state  of  Colorado, 
and  it  was  not  only  these  soldiers  and  "Mormon"  families  who 
wintered  at  what  is  now  the  city  of  Pueblo  in  Colorado,  but  a 
number  of  Saints  who  had  left  the  Southern  States  in  1846  with 
the  intention  of  joining  the  pioneers  on  their  journey  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains  that  year  were  compelled  to  winter  with  the  detachment 
of  the  Battalion,  as  the  pioneers  (as  stated)  did  not  proceed  to 
the  mountains  till  1847. 

The  following  is  culled  from  Capt.  James  Brown's  account  of 
his  detachment  (sick  detachment)  of  the  Mormon  Battalion  who 
•spent  the  winter  of  1846-47  at  Pueblo : 

"When  the  Mormon  Battalion  arrived  in  Santa  Fe,  and  ordered 
by  General  Doniphan  to  march  to  California,  it  was  found  upon 
examination  that  there  were  those  in  the  Battalion  that  were  not 
fit  for  service ;  hence,  they  were  detached  and  sent  to  the  Arkansas 
river  near  Bent's  Fort  to  winter  under  my  command.  *  *  *  * 
We  left  Santa  Fe  on  the  18th  of  October,  1846,  on  march  for  the 
Arkansas,  near  Bent's  Fort,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles, 
with  twenty  days'  rations  without  any  bacon.  Our  beef  was 


THE  "MORMONS"  AS   PIONEERS.  7 

broken-down  oxen  that  had  been  driven  from  the  States  that 
season  (dry  picking  for  the  sick).  We  made  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  miles  per  day,  twenty-seven  sick  men  not  being-  able  to 
travel  a  foot  on  the  start,  and  no  conveniences  for  the  sick,  only 
in  our  baggage  wagons,  which  were  drawn  by  broken-down  oxen. 
Therefore  the  men  who  were  well,  in  many  instances,  helped  to 
draw  the  wagons,  but  with  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  all  made  the 
river.  Milton  Smith  of  Company  C  died  the  27th  of  October,  on 
the  march  to  Bent's  Fort,  with  intermittent  fever.  He  was  a  good 
young  man,  and  his  death  was  much  lamented  by  Company  C. 
Abner  Chase  of  Company  B  -died  the  3rd  of  November  on  our 
march  to  Bent's  Fort.  He  was  worn  out  with  chills  and  fever, 
but  was  well  attendedd  to  by  his  brother  John  D.  and  others.  He 
was  buried  in  a  beautiful  grove — a  martyr  for  the  kingdom  of 
God.  My  acquaintance  with  him  was  during  his  sickness  and  he 
bore  his  suffering  like  a  saint.  *  *  *  * 

"We  arrived  at  Bent's  Fort  on  the  7th  of  November,  left  on 
the  9th  for  Pueblo,  seventy-five  miles  west,  up  the  Arkansas  river, 
arrived  in  Pueblo  on  the  15th,  where  we  made  winter  quarters. 
There  we  found  a  company  of  Saints  that  had  stopped  for  the 
winter,  and  been  left  there  by  Elder  Wm.  Crosby  from  the  South. 
Elder  Porter  Dowdle  was  president.  We  made  ourselves  com- 
fortable quarters  for  the  winter,  built  a  log  tabernacle,  20x30  feet, 
where  we  sang,  prayed  and  preached  and  sometimes  danced  dur- 
ing the  winter.  Joseph  W.  Richards,  musician  of  Company  A, 
died  the  21st  of  November,  1846,  of  quick  consumption,  in  Pueblo. 
I  became  acquainted  with  him  after  we  left  Santa  Fe  and  I  have 
often  wondered  why  the  Lord  took  so  fine  and  promising  a  young 
man  away  in  his  youth.  Notwithstanding  he  was  worn  out  with 
affliction,  his  countenance  beamed  with  intelligence  and  hope  of 
eternal  life.  *  *  *  He  was  calm  as  a  summer's  morning  and 
expired  in  a  few  minutes  without  a  groan.  He  was  laid  in  the 
grave  in  perfect  order,  according  to  his  request.  He  was  beloved 
of  all  the  Saints  that  knew  him.  John  Perkins,  of  Company  C, 
died  in  Pueblo  the  19th  of  January,  1847,  of  consumption." 
The  following  is  copied  from  Bancroft's  history  of  Colorado: 
"The  first  American  families  in  Colorado  were  a  part  of  the 
Mormon  Battalion  of  1846  who  with  their  wives  and  children  re- 
sided at  Pueblo  from  September  ( 1846)  to  the  spring  and  summer 
of  the  following  year  (1847)  when  they  joined  the  "Mormon" 
migration  to  Salt  Lake.  A  number  of  persons  later  living  in 
Utah  were  born  at  Pueblo  in  1846-47.  A  number  of  houses  were 
erected  by  them  for  winter  quarters  and  here  were  born,  married 
and  buried  a  number  of  their  people.  Driven  out  of  Illinois  at 
the  point  of  the  bayonet,  seeking  homes  on  the  western  side  of 
the  continent,  they  had  accepted  service  under  the  government 
which  had  failed  to  protect  them  in  their  direst  need  for  the  sake 
of  being  provisioned  and  having  their  families  transported  across 


8  THE   "MORMONS"  AS   PIONEERS. 

the  continent.  Of  their  strange  history  the  winter  in  Pueblo  was 
but  an  incident."  (Bancroft,  p.  357.) 

Going  back  a  little  in  our  story,  I  desire  to  'draw  attention  also 
to  the  fact  that  on  the  very  day  in  February,  1846,  that  the  actual 
exodus  of  the  "Mormons"  from  Nauvoo,  Illinois,  took  place,  a 
ship  named  the  Brooklyn  sailed  from  the  city  of  New  York  with 
a  company  of  230  Saints  on  board,  mainly  farmers  from  the  New 
England  States  and  citizens  of  some  of  the  eastern  cities.  This 
ship  performed  a  wonderful  voyage,  doubling  Cape  Horn,  touch- 
ing at  the  island  of  San  Fernandez  (the  base  of  the  Robinson 
Crusoe  story),  touching  then  at  the  Hawaiian  Islands  and  finally 
landing  at  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  July  31,  1846,  nearly  one 
year  before  President  Brigham  Young  and  his  pioneers  entered 
the  valley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  On  the  arrival  of  the  Brooklyn 
in  California  the  "Mormons"  who  had  made  the  voyage  in  that 
ship  found  a  small  village  called  Yerba  Buena,  standing  near  the 
Golden  Gate.  After  landing,  the  Brooklyn  people  soon  found 
themselves  outnumbering  the  native  Californians  and  under  their 
manipulations  and  industry  the  little  insignificant  Spanish  village 
was  changed  to  San  Francisco,  there  being  already  a  Catholic  mis- 
sion of  that  name  in  the  vicinity.  This  change  was  brought 
abou  partly  through  the  influence  exercised  by  the  California  Star 
which  was  practically  the  first  newspaper  published  in  California 
in  the  English  language.  It  was  edited  by  Samuel  Brannan,  the, 
"Mormon"  Elder,  who  had  led  the  Brooklyn  company  from  New 
York  to  California.  Thus  it  can  be  claimed  consistently  that  the 
"Mormons"  were  the  actual  founders  of  San  Francisco  as  well 
as  Salt  Lake  City  and  many  other  places  in  the  "Great  West." 

A  number  of  the  Brooklyn  company,  as  stated,  were  farmers 
who  naturally  desired  to  carry  on  agriculture  in  California,  and 
in  looking  around  for  a  suitable  place  to  locate  a  farnrng  colony 
they  selected  a  spot  in  the  great  San  Joaquin  valley,  near  the 
junction  of  the  Stanislaus  river  with  the  San  Joaquin  river,  and 
here  the  "Mormons"  founded  the  first  farming  settlement  in  that 
great  valley  which  now  contains  seven  of  the  most  flourishing 
counties  in  California.  Later  the  same  people  that  founded  Salt 
Lake  City  located  the  fine  and  flourishing  settlement  of  San  Ber- 
nardino in  Southern  California. 

The  following  is  extracted  from  Hubert  Howe  Bancroft's  "His- 
tory of  California,"  Vol.  5,  page  548: 

"It  was  on  February  4th  ( 1846)  that  the  Brooklyn  sailed  from 
New  York  with  her  load  of  emigrants.  She  was  not  a  fast  sailer, 
but  excellent  preparations  had  been  made  for  the  comfort  of  the 
passengers.  Elaborate  regulations  had  been  drawn  up  for  all  the 
details  of  routine  conduct.  There  were  ten  deaths,  and  two  births, 
the  infants  being  named  Atlantic  and  Pacific. 

"In  each  ocean  a  storm  put  all  in  danger.  Once  Captain  Rich- 
ardson gave  up  the  vessel  as  lost ;  but  the  'Mormons'  paid  no  heed 


THE  "MORMONS"  AS   PIONEERS.  9 

to  such  terrors,  for  were  they  not  in  the  keeping  of  the  Lord,  and 
bound  for  a  land  of  promise?  It  is  even  claimed  that  faith  some- 
what strengthened  them  to  bear  the  pangs  of  .sea-sickness.  The 
last  storm  struck  the  ship  when  she  was  near  the  latitude  of  Val- 
paraiso and  trying  to  make  that  port,  driving  her  back  nearly  to 
the  cape.  The  first  anchorage  was  at  the  island  of  Juan  Fer- 
nandez on  May  4th.  But  here  they  got  for  nothing  the  supplies 
that  would  have  cost  dear  at  Valparaiso.  After  five  days  they 
continued  their  voyage,  arriving  at  Honolulu  on  June  20th  and 
remaining  there  ten  days,  being  hospitably  welcomed  and  honored 
by  Mr.  Damon  with  a  kindly  notice  in  the  Friend.  Here  they  met 
Commodore  Stockton,  about  to  sail  for  Monterey,  and  learned 
.something  of  the  prospect  that  California  would  soon  be  occupied 
by  the  United  States.  Much  of  the  time  'during  the  remainder  of 
the  voyage  was  spent  in  military  drill,  with  a  view  to  possible 
hostility  on  the  part  of  the  Mexicans.  The  'arrival  in  Yerba 
Buena  (San  Francisco)  was  on  July  31st.  *  *  *  * 
•  "Thus  San  Francisco  became  for  a  time  very  largely  a  'Mor- 
mon' town.  All  bear  witness  to  the  orderly  and  moral  conduct 
of  the  Saints,  both  on  land  and  sea.  They  were  honest  and  indus- 
trious citizens,  even  if  clannish  and  peculiar.  They  had  a  few 
months'  provisions  left  on  disembarking,  but  the'-  uwed  something 
on  their  passage  money.  After  camping  for  a  time  on  a  vacant 
lot,  some  went  to  Marin  county  to  work  as  lumbermen  and  thu; 
pay  their  debts ;  others  were  put  in  possession  of  the  old  mission 
buildings  ;  all  sought  work  at  whatever  tasks  presented  themselves, 
making  themselves  generally  useful ;  while  a  party  of  twenty  was 
sent  into  the  San  Joaquin  valley  to  prepare  for  the  coming  of  the 
Nauvoo  Saints  by  the  overland  route.  Many  of  them  appear  in 
the  town  records  of  1846-47  as  the  grantees  of  building  lots.  *  * 

"In  January,  1847,  Brannan  began  the  publication  of  the  Yerba 
Buena  California  Star,  using  the  material  of  the  old  "Prophet" 
office ;  and  it  was  continued  through  this  year  and  the  next.  It 
was  not  issued  as  an  organ  of  'Mormonism,'  but  as  a  news- 
paper. *  *  *  * 

"Brannan  wrote  from  Yerba  Buena  on  the  1st  of  January :  'We 
have  commenced  a  settlement  on  the  River  San  Joaquin,  a  large 
and  beautiful  stream  emptying  into  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco ; 
but  the  families  of  the  company  are  wintering  in  this  place,  where 
they  find  plenty  of  employment,  and  houses  to  live  in ;  and  about 
twenty  of  our  number  are  up  at  the  new  settlement,  which  we 
call  New  Hope,  ploughing  and  putting  in  wheat  and  other  crops, 
and  making  preparations  to  move  their  families  up  in  the  spring, 
where  they  hope  to  meet  the  main  body  by  land  some  time  during 
the  coming  season.  The  site  of  New  Hope  was  on  the  north  bank 
of  the  Stanislaus,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  San  Joaquin. 
Wm.  Stout  was  in  charge  of  the  party  that  went  in  a  launch  from 
Yerba  Buena  to  found  the  first  settlement  in  San  Joaquin  county. 


10  THE   "MORMONS''  AS   PIONEERS. 

A  log  house  was  built  and  a  saw  mill,  eighty  acres  were  seeded 
and  fenced,  and  in  April  the  crops  promised  well,  but  not  much 
more  is  known  of  the  enterprise  except  that  it  was  abandoned  in 
the  autumn.  *  *  The  reason  for  abandoning  the  enterprise 

was  *  *  *  the  receipt  of  news  that  the  Church  had  decided 
to  settle  at  Salt  Lake/  " 

We  will  now  return  to  the  main  camps  of  the  exiled  saints 
which  my  narrative  left  at  Winter  Quarters  in  1846.  As  soon 
as  possible  the  following  spring  (1847)  a  selection  of  men  and 
teams  were  made  to  push  ahead  as  pioneers  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, and  thus  it  was  that  Brigham  Young,  together  with  142 
other  pioneers,  three  women  and  two  children  left  the  Missouri 
river  for  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  April,  1847.  Having  proceeded 
about  half  way,  four  of  their  numbers  left  the  main  company  at 
Ft.  Laramie  with  the  intention  of  going  south  to  the  Arkansas 
river  to  appraise  the  saints  from  Mississippi  and  the  detachment 
of  the  Mormon  Battalion  who  had  wintered  there  that  the  pio- 
neers were  passing.  These  four  men  intercepted  the  parties  men- 
tioned who  had  already  left  their  encampments  at  Pueblo  for  Up- 
per California.  At  Laramie  also  the  pioneers  were  joined  by  a 
small  advance  company  of  the  Mississippi  saints,  Robt.  Crow  and 
family  and  others,  17  souls  altogether.  After  deducting  the  four 
pioneers  which  had  left,  this  increased  the  pioneer  company  to  161 
souls.  Continuing  the  journey  as  far  as  the  upper  crossing  of  the 
Platte  ten  men  of  the  .pioneer  company  were  left  to  ferry  the 
California  and  Oregon  emigrants  (who  were  on  their  journey 
westward)  across  the  Platte.  On  the  arrival  of  the  Pioneers  on 
Green  River  a  small  company  of  the  Battalion  overtook  the  pio- 
neers who  when  they  arrived  in  the  valley  on  July  22nd,  23rd,  and 
24th,  numbered  about  156  people. 

Five  days  after  the  arrival  of  Brigham  Young  and  his  company 
the  detachment  of  the  Mormon  Battalion  under  the  leadership  of 
Capt.  James  Brown  entered  the  Valley.  Immediately  the  pioneers 
commenced  to  lay  the  foundation  of  our  beautiful  city  which  now 
can  boast  of  100,000  inhabitants.  Space  does  not  permit  me  to 
go  into  greater  details,  but  I  will  simply  state  that  about  1800 
Latter-day  Saints  which  crossed  the  plains  and  mountains  in  nine 
well  organized  companies  reached  this  valley  the  same  year  as  the 
original  pioneers,  not  to  speak  of  a  number  of  the  Mormon  Bat- 
talion who,  after  serving  their  term  of  enlistment,  made  their 
way  from  Southern  California  northward  and  then  across  the 
Sierra  Nevada  mountains  and  what  is  now  the  Nevada  desert  to 
this  valley.  Thus  it  was  that  nearly  1800  people  spent  the  winter 
of  1847-1848  in  what  we  now  call  Pioneer  Square,  but  which  was 
originally  known  as  the  Old  Fort,  the  beginning  of  Great  Salt 
Lake  City,  which  in  1868  was  changed  to  Salt  Lake  City,  its  pres- 
ent name.  From  this  beginning  Utah's  several  valleys  were  sub- 
sequently .settled.  The  year  1848  witnessed  the  arrival  of  thou- 


THE  "MORMONS"   AS   PIONEERS.  11 

sands  of  "Mormons"  who  had  spent  about  two  years  on  the  fron- 
tiers, and  soon  Ogden,  Provo,  Manti,  and  many  other  cities  came 
into  existence. 

Carson  Valley,  Nevada,  which  once  constituted  a  part  of  Utah 
became  known  to  the  "Mormon"  people  as  early  as  1847,  when  the 
discharged  soldiers  of  the  Mormon  Battalion  passed  through  on 
their  way  from  California  to  this  valley,  and  as  early  as  1851  the 
first  "Mormon"  settlement,  which  was  also  the  first  Anglo-Saxon 
settlement  of  any  description  in  what  is  now  the  state  of  Nevada, 
was  founded  in  Carson  Valley,  or  at  a  place  known  as  Genoa. 
Thus  it  is  readily  seen  that  the  same  class  of  people  who  were 
the  pioneers  of  Utah  also  became  the  pioneers  of  Nevada. 

In  1855  Pres.  Young  sent  out  a  colony  about  400  miles  north 
into  what  was  then  Oregon  and  founded  a  settlement  among  the 
Indians  on  a  branch  of  Salmon  River,  and  thus  the  "Mormons"  also 
became  the  first  settlers  of  Idaho ;  and  though  this  settlement  on 
the  Salmon  River  was  broken  up  in  1858  the  honor  was  .still  re- 
tained for  the  "Mormons"  to  locate  the  first  permanent  settlement 
in  Idaho,  for  the  year  1860  witnessed  the  founding  of  Franklin 
in  Cache  Valley  which  at  the  time  of  its  settling  was  believed  to 
be  in  Utah,  but  which  proved,  after  an  accurate  survey  had  been 
made,  to  be  about  four  miles  north  of  the  boundary  line  between 
Utah  and  Idaho. 

In  1854  a  farming  settlement  known  as  Fort  Supply  was  located 
by  the  "Mormons"  near  Blacks  Fort  of  Green  River,  a  few  miles 
south  of  the  original  Fort  Bridger.  This  was  the  first  farming 
settlement  in  what  is  now  the  state  of  Wyoming. 

In  Hubert  Howe  Bancroft's  history  of  Wyoming,  page  696, 
the  following  is  recorded: 

"Bridger  before  engaging  as  guide  with  Gore  had  disposed  of 
his  holdings  on  Green  River  to  the  Mormons  who  were  the  first 
actual  settlers  to  the  number  of  55  in  what  is  now  a  portion  of 
Wyoming  but  was  then  considered  to  be  in  Utah.  Ft.  Supply 
*  *  *  was  intended  as  a  station  where  passing  emigration 
could  be  furnished  with  provisions.  It  was  abandoned  on  the 
advent  of  a  command  of  U.  S.  troops  in  the  vicinity.  The  occu- 
pants retired  to  Salt  Lake." 

In  giving  these  details  I  have  been  careful  not  to  exaggerate, 
but  to  tell  the  actual  facts  in  order  to  show  what  the  pioneer  la- 
bor done  by  the  "Mormon"  people  means  to  this  western  country. 

Ever  since  the  founding*  of  Jamestown  in  Virginia  In  1607  and 
the  landing  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  on  Plymouth  Rock  in  1620 
America  has  produced  pioneers  by  the  thousands  and  tens  of 
thousands,  and  the  history  of  our  country  shows  that  these  pio 
neers  ventured  farther  and  farther  west  out  among  the  Indians 
or  into  unexplored  or  unclaimed  countries,  until  the  vanguard  of- 
Anglo-Saxon  civilization  stood  about  half  way  across  the  conti- 
nent,  looking   westward   toward   the   Great   Plains,   the   Rocky 


12  THE   "MORMONS"  AS   PIONEERS. 

Mountains  and  the  Great  American  Deseret,  which,  save  for  a  few 
forts  and  a  few  settlements  founded  in  what  was  then  Oregon,  was 
inhabited  only  by  nomadic  Indians.  But  Brigham  Young  and  his 
pioneers  with  one  grand  leap  so  to  speak  cut  that  great  desert  or 
uninhabited  waste  in  half  by  planting  this  city  in  the  Great 
American  Desert,  and  thus  it  was  that  Great  Salt  Lake  City  be- 
came the  half  way  house  between  the  Missouri  river  in  the  east 
and  the  Pacific  coast  in  the  west,  just  as  literally  and  effectually 
as  Palestine  in  the  Orient  is  the  half  way  house,  so  to  speak,  be- 
tween the  Great  River  Euphrates  on  the  east  and  the  beautiful 
Nile  on  the  west.  By  the  founding  of  the  American  half  way 
house  the  emigrants  from  the  east  bound  for  California  found  it 
possible  to  make  the  long  journey  across  the  continent  with  com- 
parative ease,  for  if  they  on  their  arrival  in  the  Great  Salt  Lake 
Valley  found  themselves  short  of  provisions,  or  impeded  in  their 
progress  by  tired  or  worn  out  animals,  they  were  able  to  replenish 
their  provisions  and  obtain  fresh  horses,  mules  and  oxen  to  con- 
tinue their  journey  to  the  coast,  whither  so  many  went  in  an  early 
day  to  seek  their  fortunes  in  the  gold  fields,  or  to  establish  colo- 
nies on  the  Pacific  coast.  But  not  only  were  these  overland  trav- 
elers able  to  obtain  these  supplies  as  they  needed  them,  but  they 
found  the  "Mormons"  an  honest  and  upright  people  who  treated 
the  travelers  right  and  were  not  inclined  to  take  advantage  of  the 
situation.  This  meant  so  much  to  the  "Mormons"  by  way  of 
contradicting  the  numerous  falsehoods  which  had  been  circulated 
by  the  enemies  of  the  "Mormon"  people  at  an  early  day.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  the  pioneers  of  Utah  lived  in  this  valley  about 
four  years  before  even  a  territorial  form  of  government  was 
granted  by  the  Federal  government  and  during  these  years  the 
"Mormons"  lived  under  laws  enacted  by  themselves  and  were 
ruled  by  officers  of  their  own  selections.  It  would  have  been  as 
easy  for  them  to  have  built  up  a  regular  robbers  roost  in  these 
mountains,  had  they  been  so  disposed,  as  to  build  up  a  Christian 
community.  We  have  at  the  Historian's  Office  numerous  letters 
written  by  non-"Mormons"  who  passed  through  this  valley  at 
an  early  day,  testifying  of  the  good  character  of  the  Latter-day 
Saints,  but  I  shall  in  conclusion  only  mention  one. 

One  of  the  gold  diggers  en  route  for  California  signing  him- 
self as  "Stranger  in  Quest  of  Gold, "writes  a  long  letter  from  Great 
Salt  Lake  City,  July's,  1849,  to  the  "New  York  Tribune,"  of  which 
the  following  is  an  extract : 

"The  company  of  gold  diggers,  which  I  have  the  honor  to  com- 
mand, arrived  here  on  the  3rd  inst.  and  judge  our  feelings  when 
after  1200  miles  of  travel  through  an  uncultivated  desert,  and  the 
last  one  hundred  miles  of  the  distance  through  and  among  lofty 
mountains  and  narrow  and  difficult  ravines,  w.e  found  ourselves 

suddenly  and   almost  unexpectedly  in   a   comparative   paradise. 
*     *     *     * 

"Descending  the  table  land  which  bordered  the  valley,  extensive 


THE  "MORMONS"  AS   PIONEERS.  13 

herds  of  cattle,  horses  and  sheep  were  grazing  in  every  direction, 
reminding  us  of  that  home  and  civilization  from  which  we  had  so 
widely  -departed,  for  as  yet  the  fields  and  houses  were  in  the 
distance.  Passing  over  some  miles  of  pasture  lands,  we  at  last 
found  ourselves  in  a  broad  fenced  street,  extending  westward  in  a 
straight  line  for  several  miles.  Houses  of  wood  or  sundried  brick 
were  thickly  clustered  in  the  vale  before  us  some  thousands  in 
number,  and  occupying  a  spot  about  as  large  as  the  city  of  New 
York.  They  were  mostly  ,small,  one  story  high  and  perhaps  not 
more  than  one  occupying  an  acre  of  land.  The  whole  space  of 
miles  axcepting  the  streets  and  houses,  was  in  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  Fields  of  yellow  wheat  stood  waiting  for  the  harvest 
and  Indian  corn,  potatoes,  oats,  flax  and  all  kinds  of  garden  vege- 
tables, were  growing  in  profusion.  *  *  * 

"At  the  first  sight  of  all  these  signs  of  cultivation  in  the  wilder- 
ness, we  were  transported  with  wonder  and  pleasure.  Some  wept, 
some  gave  three  cheers,  some  laughed,  a-nd  some  ran  and  fairly 
danced  for  joy,  while  all  felt  inexpressively  happy  to  find  them- 
selves once  more  amid  scenes  which  mark  the  progress  of  ad- 
vancing civilization. 

"And  the  strangest  of  all  was  that  this  great  city,  extending 
over  several  square  miles,  had  been  erected,  and  every  house  and 
fence  made  within  nine  or  tne  months  of  the  time  of  our  arrival ; 
while  at  the  same  time  good  bridges  were  erected  over  the  prin- 
cipal streams,  and  the  country  settlements  extended  nearly  a 
hundred  miles  up  and  down  the  valley. 

"This  territory,  State,  or,  as  some  may  term  it,  'Mormon 
Empire',  may  justly  be  considered  as  one  of  the  great  test  pro- 
degies  of  the  age,  and,  in  comparison  with  its  age,  the  most  gi- 
gantic of  all  republics  in  existence,  being  only  in  its  second  year 
since  the  first  seed  of  cultivation  was  planted,  or  the  first  civilized 
habitation  commenced.  If  these  people  were  such  thieves  and 
robbers  as  their  enemies  represented  them  in  the  States  I  must 
think  they  have  greatly  reformed  in  point  of  industry  since  com- 
ing to  the  mountains.  *  *  * 

"I  this  day  attended  worship  with  them  in  the  open  air.  Some 
thousands  of  well  dressed,  intelligent  looking  people  assembled, 
some  on  foot,  .some  in  carriages  and  on  horseback.  Many  were 
neatly  and  even  fashionably  clad.  The  beauty  and  neatness  of 
the  ladies  reminded  me  of  some  of  our  best  congregations  in  New 
York.  They  had  a  choir  of  both  sexes,  who  performed  extremely 
well,  accompanied  by  a  band  who  played  well  on  almost  every  in- 
trument  of  modern  invention.  Peals  of  the  most  sweet,  sacred 
and  solemn  music  filled  the  air,  after  which  a  solemn  prayer  was 
offered  by  Rev.  Mr.  Grant  of  Philadelphia.  *  *  * 

"After  this  came  a  lengthy  discourse  from  Mr.  Brigham  Young, 
president  of  the  society.  *  *  * 

"Every  one  seemed  interested  and  pleased  with  his  remarks 


14  THE  "MORMONS"  AS  PIONEERS. 

and  all  appeared  to  be  contented  to  stay  at  home  and  pursue  a 

persevering  industry,  although  mountains  of  gold  were  near  them. 
*     *     * 

"The  Mormons  are  not  dead,  nor  is  their  spirit  broken.  And, 
if  I  mistake  not,  there  is  a  noble  daring,  stern,  and  democratic 
spirit  swelling  in  their  bosoms,  which  will  people  these  mountains 
with  a  race  of  independent  men  and  influence  the  destiny  of  our 
country  and  the  world  for  a  hundred  generations.  In  their  relig- 
ion they  seem  charitable,  devoted  and  sincere;  in  their  politics, 
bold,  daring,  and  determined;  in  their  domestic  circle,  quiet,  af- 
fectionate and  happy,  while  in  industry,  skill  and  intelligence 
they  have  few  equals  and  no  superiors  on  the  earth.  *  *  * 

"I  had  many  strange  feelings  while  contemplating  this  new 
civilization  growing  up  so  suddenly  in  the  wilderness;  I  almost 
wished  I  could  awake  from  my  golden  dream  and  find  it  but  a 
dream;  while  I  pursued  my  domestic  duties  as  quiet,  as  happy 
and  contented  as  this  strange  people." 


THE  ESSENTIAL  VALUE  OF  GENEALOGICAL 
RESEARCH. 

A  Discourse  Delivered  in  the  Salt  Lake  Tabernacle,  Sept.  23, 
1917,  "Genealogical  Sunday,"  by 

JOSEPH  F.  SMITH,  JR. 

On  the  21st  day  of  September,  in  the  year  1823,  Moroni,  a 
prophet  who  dwelt  upon  this  continent  some  four  hundred  years 
after  the  crucifixion  of  the  Savior,  appeared  to  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith  in  an  upper  room  in  his  father's  home,  and  gave 
him  instruction  concerning  the  establishment  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  in  these  latter  days  and  revealed  to  him  many  things 
pertaining  to  the  Gospel  and  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy  that  was 
given  to  the  ancient  prophets  in  Israel.  Today  is  the  twenty-third 
day  of  September  and  the  nearest  Sunday  to  the  anniversary  of 
that  event ;  and  therefore,  according  to  custom,  the  day  has  been 
set  apart  throughout  the  Church  as  Genealogical  Day,  and  the 
request  has  gone  forth  that  the  Saints  in  their  meetings,  in  the 
various  wards  and  wherever  they  should  happen  to  meet,  should 
devote  a  portion  of  their  time  to  the  question  of  the  salvation  of 
the  dead  and  the  interests  of  the  dead  in  matters  of  genealogy. 
Among  other  things  which  that  angel  declared  to  Joseph  Smith, 
which  makes  this  request  of  importance  to  us  today  is  found  in 
the  fourth  chapter  of  Malachi,  and  I  will  read  to  you  those  verses, 
not  as  they  appear  in  the  Bible  but  as  they  were  quoted  by  the 
angel  to  Joseph  Smith: 

"For  behold,  the  day  cometh  that  shall  burn  as  an  oven,  and 


